Where to start? My name is John. I'm 32 years old. I've been eating a plant based whole food diet for about 7 months now. There, that gets the basics out of the way

Here's my story: In May of 2012 I watched the documentary "Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead" by Joe Cross (I'm sure most of you have heard of it). My wife had been bugging me to watch it and just to get her to stop bothering me, I watched it. Five minutes in I was thoroughly engrossed; even though I still had no intention of going on a "juice cleanse" the documentary was well put together and Joe has a charismatic personality. Then came the second half of the documentary where it shifted focus from Joe to Phil (the truck driver). By the end of the documentary I said to myself, "if Phil can do it, I can." And I did. I started juicing the next day and did so for the next 60 days, loosing 67 pounds and 8 inches from my waist (along with other more important things like my blood pressure, blood sugar, triglycerides, and cholesterol dropping like a rock). Oh, and when I started the juice cleanse, I weighed in at a very bloated 265 pounds at about 6 feet tall.

With the juice cleanse behind me, all I knew was that I didn't want to ever go back. I started eating a "balanced" diet that included what a typical American considers to be healthy, non-fat greek yogurt, chicken and fish, egg whites and goat cheese, rice, beans, and a decent amount of greens, fruit, and veggies. I started running a lot and continued to loose weight, loosing another 10 pounds over the next few months. All the while I was reading and searching out other like minded people (the ones I used to call health nuts). Eventually that led me to read "The China Study" near the end of 2012 (another one I'm sure you've all heard of). After finishing the book, I couldn't go back to eating a diet heavy in animal based products. So I decided to convert to a plant based whole food diet. Shortly thereafter, I stumbled upon this website (and others like it) and decided I wanted to put on some muscle (I had always been an athlete growing up, so it made sense). But I've found that "body building" is much like "eating healthy;" there's a lot of misinformation out there that's presented as truth.

So i'm 7 months into my plant based whole food diet and body building lifestyle and I'm still trying to find what works best for me (which I'm beginning to suspect will be a lifelong pursuit). I'm happy eating the way I do, and I enjoy the challenge of transforming my body.

Oh, and for the record, it's been a little over a year since I finished my juice cleanse and I am sill under 200 pounds. I'm trying to add muscle the smart way, without adding all the fat that most people do when they bulk up. It's going to be a long journey, but I'm glad there are others I can share it with.

Cheers,John

_________________"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."-Winston Churchill

What a great introduction John, fantastic stuff! I really should get around to watch that film at some point, it does sound very interesting and compelling.

Congrats on your weight loss, that is a huge drop and I applaud you for your whole transformation. Welcome to the forum John, I look forward to seeing you posting more and interacting with some of the regulars on here. It's an awesome community and everyone is always willing to help out. Take care, good luck with your goals and thanks for signing up buddy MF.

What an awesome transformation! Keep going, definitely! It's super motivating to see successes like yours for someone like me who's just starting out on this path. Look forward to hearing more from you!

What an awesome transformation! Keep going, definitely! It's super motivating to see successes like yours for someone like me who's just starting out on this path. Look forward to hearing more from you!

Thanks Debbie! Hang in there and just keep on keeping on! It can definitely been done; after seeing my transformation, my parrents both lost about 25 lbs each following a similar path. In addition, two co-workers and a friend each lost 30+ lbs doing the Juice Cleanse. You can do anything you set your mind to!

rickb wrote:

Hello! I have watched that film and the wife and I both enjoyed it. Two more I can recommend is "Hungry For Change" and "Forks Over Knives". Great transformation btw!!! Looking great!

Haven't seen "Hungry for Change" yet, but I will search it out. I absolutely loved "Forks over Knives;" great documentary. I even bought the FoK cookbook recently.

And by the way, your avatar pic is awesome. I work every day toward obtaining the muscle definition you have!

Cheers,John

_________________"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."-Winston Churchill

Welcome from another SC resident. My husband and I watched "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" and it really started the ball rolling in our house, too! Then, "Forks Over Knives" just cemented the whole food plant-based diet for me.

Welcome from another SC resident. My husband and I watched "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" and it really started the ball rolling in our house, too! Then, "Forks Over Knives" just cemented the whole food plant-based diet for me.

Great job!

Thanks for the warm welcome Wendy! Where in SC are you located? I'm in the Greenville area.

_________________"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."-Winston Churchill

Welcome from another SC resident. My husband and I watched "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" and it really started the ball rolling in our house, too! Then, "Forks Over Knives" just cemented the whole food plant-based diet for me.

Great job!

Thanks for the warm welcome Wendy! Where in SC are you located? I'm in the Greenville area.

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